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Stepping Floor Plate Setup in Stories


aa.schump

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We are making the leap from a hybrid 2D/BIM workflow to a total BIM workflow. (or at least trying to make the move) 

I wanted to see what the group would start setting up the stories for a project like the one pictured below. It's a pretty simple IBC townhouse project on a slightly sloping site, dropping about 40" from the north to the south. The floor to floor height on all 6 units is 10'-0" but the finish floor steps down with the site. And while similar, all the units are not the same. I wouldn't think you would want to make a story for each condition, but I am also unsure as to input the offsets for walls, slabs, etc.  Any help would be much appreciated. 

Screen Shot 2019-02-26 at 3.10.13 PM.png

Screen Shot 2019-02-26 at 3.10.39 PM.png

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Not sure full BIM VW handles your situation well. Sooo .... .

 

I would pretend VW has support for IFC Storey Tree structure and divide the building into three sub-buildings or building zones.

Each Building zone has a complete copy of the layer structure shifted in the Z to suit. This process is a bit of a fight but saves other more painful fights.

Avoid Level Types as there can only be one in a storey and making numerous copies and wall stypes to suit is well a hiding for nothing.

 

Define walls by Layer Elevation and Layer Wall Height (yes I can hear the purists screaming all the way over here) but that means one wall type will handle use across any of the building zones. Always layout a wall on the lowest applicable zone of the building. Only your zone boundary walls should now need tweaking to get up to the height needed for the upper level.

 

After you do all that you realise the project isn't really anyone more "full BIM" than the hybrid BIM you are using.

 

 

 

 

 

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Not really.

 

You could create separate Story Levels for each Level.

But that would need also duplicate Wall Styles for each Level.

 

But it could be worth if such Level have a certain importance and

need to change every now and then.

In that case, just changing Level Settings would adapt the whole Building

automatically.

 

I did that in the past with a building that had several different Levels in one

of its Stories. Was a bit hard to understand and setup at the beginning but

very flexible in the end.

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Thank you both. I will certainly give both recommendations a try. At the end of the day, we want to use the software to create the sections and elevations instead of just utilizing it for plan, and door/window information as we have been doing for some time. It's frustrating that there has to be a workaround for something that so fundamental to architecture. Maybe I'm off in the weeds here, but I don't think we have many projects that actually exist on one continuous plane. They are always modulating is section. 

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Ah, I just saw your 3D geometry example last time.

 

Well, that it is difficult what will work best for you.

My former idea with Story Levels would mean that you duplicate ALL you Story Levels

by 5 times, in your example

(Which would be a real mess if you would need to change certain Level Sets at a

later point which makes the Control gained by Levels obsolete again)

And the same for your Wall and maybe Slab Styles,

also Doors and Windows need manual Offsets ....

 

The other option is to create separate Files for each Level Set and reference them

into a global file later. So you can use one Level System and need no Style Duplicates.

But as you can't transfer Story Level Systems between files, also no real parametric

for changes between files. 

Not sure if you can "reference" PIO Styles, but Level Systems would need to be change

in every single file in such a case.

And I think you will also have or need Walls that will be shared between Levels.

 

Basically that is just a very unlucky Design for a VW BIM.

Something which isn't any issue in other BIM Solutions.

 

I think in that case, I would go with a :

- single Story Level System

- single Design File

- single PIO Styles

but overwrite Wall Tops and Bottom Zs as well as for Windows and Doors.

Sounds tedious but I think it is ok as you

a) can keep or not loose Wall Style changes meanwhile and

b) can select and apply changes to multiple Objects at a time

 

Like, a separate Layer for each Level could men that you can select

90% of all its geometry at once and just assign a 15 cm Z Offset

up or down for all in one go.

 

Maybe I would generate a few duplicate Levels and Slab Styles, to have

some parametric control and even more, something reliable to snap or

check for correct touching of objects in Z Axis.

 

Of course,

everything a bit tedious and error prone ....

 

 

Edited by zoomer
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I use a single Storey for each level of the building and use Level Types to deal with any level changes within that Storey.

 

I keep Wall Styles to a minimum. Our Wall Style default top and bottom bindings are set Layer Elevation and then I'll manually edit all wall instances (mostly more than one at a time) to adjustment the top and bottom bindings of all their components to suit each situation. This sounds like a lot of work, and it some ways it is, but it's actually an auditing process. You're checking all the junctions and making sure there are no errors. 

 

The more I model buildings in VW the more I learn to use automated behaviour thoughtfully and sparingly. I also prefer to manually model my Slab edges to exactly where I want them to meet the wall (we use one Slab object for the structural slab on its own layer and another for the finishing slab, plus another for ceilings again on its own layer), because the problem with auto-binding them is that sometimes when a wall is edited the slabs reset themselves and you end up with broken junctions in your section drawing. If they're manually modelled this can't happen, but it does mean to need to make any changes yourself when you move a wall for instance.

 

For the moment this method also means windows and doors need to be offset manually, but I don't find this much of a problem in practice.

 

If one of the level changes needs to be adjusted this means editing the Elevation Offset for each Level Type + adjusting all your window and door offsets. But that's it, all your wall components will adjust automatically to suit your Level Type Elevation Offsets.

 

Attached is a screenshot of our typical Level Types. This project originally had three level changes, but now only has two. The more you have the harder is to manage and navigate, so some discipline is required.

 

897594456_Screenshot2019-02-27at17_09_06.thumb.png.ffb156803ec2d3af267c067175875bc0.png

Edited by Christiaan
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